Press the pickle button
The “pickle button” is what the pilots call their weapons release button- the one that sends off all of the bombs. It’s also how they refer to their very pregnant wives, as in “no, she hasn’t pickled yet,”
“she’s about to pickle,”
etc.
Nice, huh?
(Christmas decorations, it’s so sad to pack you up)
So here I am, just shy of 40 weeks… trying to find the pickle button, so to speak.
I went through your suggestions on getting labor started, and have been Googling my face off. Of course, being induced wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but anything we can do to get the ball rolling would be a good thing.
Lots of walking and other… physical activity
pineapple
(even if it doesn’t work, it tastes really good right now)
and red raspberry leaf tea, which I’ve been drinking for the past few weeks.
I have one more chiropractor appointment today to see if it will help her turn, an acupuncture appointment tomorrow, and we’ll see what happens from there.
If I still haven’t “pickled” by Thursday, I’m getting a massage for my sanity.
This week:
-The belly is making some CRAZY shapes- she’s officially out of room. When I woke up yesterday morning, I pulled up my shirt, which was actually the Pilot’s shirt since mine are all super snug, and told him to take a look at the belly. It was pointing out in the middle into a distinct cone shape. I have no idea what it was, and then she body-rolled back into place.
-It’s kind of fun to tell people an actual day instead of a date for my due date. “I’m due Friday” sounds much sooner than January 6. The guy ringing up the above pineapple at Basha’s asked when I was due, and I told him Friday. He said that a girl had just been in there was due 4 days ago and had to buy more cookies because her sister ate hers. Apparently she was very angry, and rightfully so- don’t mess with a preg’s snacks.
-I’m really emotional again. Yesterday, after taking a nap, I sat on the stairs and had a serious, long cry. Sometimes pregnancy meltdowns seem so necessary and later on I’ll apologize for being silly, and others, like yesterday’s, you know that there’s no reason for how you’re feeling but it’s happening anyway. Tom just hugged me and I cried, and told him that I had no idea why I was crying. Thinking about it, I think I’m sad that all of my friends that were due around the same time as I am (give or take a few weeks) have all had their babies. I’m the only one left, just waiting. Which is silly, but I just want to meet her so badly.
I’m starting to think she may be a little stubborn, just like her mama…
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I have the same pickle ornament from my aunt, I don’t understand it, but I guess every tree needs one. Apparently, you are supposed to hide the pickle and whomever finds it will be blessed with good fortune.
we definitely hide the pickle over here too, but this year my mom cheated and hid it OFF the tree. haha
I am so excited for you! You are doing a great job and she will be there before you know it. 🙂 The pregnancy crying- that never went away for me. Just reading your post about having a good long cry brought tears to my eyes. I can cry at the littlest things nowadays and my daughter is nearly six months old. I know it feels like it will never happen now and the anticipation is intense, but from the moment you have her time will absolutely fly! I’m so happy for you two! 🙂
Hang in there! I’m constantly checking to see if you’re in labor 🙂 We start our Bradley classes tomorrow. I am super excited and hope we have a good experience like you did!
i hope you do, too! we loved ours 🙂
AH I’m disappointed! It’s my birthday and I was convinced you would have her today! I was 8 days late for my mom so keep waiting! I was supposed to be born on Christmas but thank God I wasn’t!
ahhhh i wish! happy birthday to you!
Thank you Gina!
*hugs* That’s all…just *hugs*
If it makes you feel better, I had some friends due the same timeasme, and I wasthe last to have my baby too. But I was also the one with the littlest sweetest baby, while my friends’ babies had already passed through the newborn phase MINE was still in it :). I was really happy at that moment to have been the last to “pickle. Hang in there, you’re so close!
I remember that feeling. The good news is it’ll end soon, for sure. Hang in there!
I LOVE the ‘hide the pickle’ game! I can’t wait to have Em do it when she’s bigger.
Girl I think ALL pregnant women have felt what you’re feeling … that amazing anticipation of finally holding your bundle of joy in your arms. I was so anxious to meet my baby! It was when I just let go of it that I went into labor … maybe it helped me relax?
Sending your lots of labor love!
Lady, I was reading your post on the front page and thinking, “Geez I wish she would have that baby!” You must be so anxious and excited! Crossing my fingers for you. You are going to make a great mom 🙂
Hey, I get the feeling. Being overdue is a miserable experience. Between vegging out with reruns of Bones and chewing on ice, the only other thing I did was cry. And I was so jealous when my best friend (who had the same due date!) had her baby TEN DAYS! before I did. After I sat with her during labor I went home and…cried. After I visited her at home I went home and…cried. Now, I’m laughing at how pathetic it must of been. But in the moment? I was so, so, so done with being pregnant. I was so, so, so done *waiting* for labor to begin. It’s stressful to just have to..wait…for the biggest moment of your life.
I’ve read your blog for awhile, just never commented, but your current state brought back memories of where I was 6 months ago…just waiting and waiting while everyone else had their babies before me. People say to enjoy your last days of ‘freedom’, but that’s easier said than done when you’re anticipating meeting the person you’ve carried around for 9 months. My daughter was stubbornly born 10 days past her due date, and I tried lots of suggestions to get her moving, but nothing worked (that I know of). Eventually ended up getting my membranes stripped, and the next day I began my (very painful) 36 hour labor.
The most awkward thing ever though: my mom flew out to help and was staying with us a week while we waited for baby, so she tagged along to my midwife appointment. Being anxious, my husband & I asked the midwife for advice and she said (with my mom in the room), “plain and simple, the best thing you can do to get the baby here is sexual intercourse”. That was awkward.
Needless to say, since mom was sleeping in the room right next to ours, we did not take her advice and tried other options. 🙂
She’ll come when she’s good and ready, best wishes for what lies ahead!
Something small to make you feel better – overdue babies are often a lot more contented and alert when they come out! My friend had her baby 15 days late (they let her go until then as the placenta was still in good shape) and her little girl came out like a little buddha! Serene, no tears and stared with wonder at her mum and dad. She also feeds like a trouper and at 5 months sleeps 8 hours at night time… I’ll be remembering that if the 31st January comes and goes for me! Your body and your baby are doing everything perfectly, following their own healthy path. xoxo
that’s very reassuring to hear! my doula keeps telling me i want a “well done” baby 🙂
Oh honey, I am feeling you big time. Manus was 8 days late and my OB/GYN saw me at the commissary the day before I went into labour, and told me after Manus was born that he was going to admit me the following day, after my weekly appointment if I didn’t go into labour by then. The evening before I went into labour, I went on a 3 mile walk (albeit slowly of course!) and a little mattress mambo as you like to say 😉 Needless to say 4 hours later at midnight, contractions had begun. It will happen soon! Thinking of you both.
Aw, we have the pickle ornament too – hang in there, Friday will be here before you know it, and maybe the little miss will decide to make an appearance on time! 🙂
I tried it all! Fresh pineapple (which was soo yummy in August 🙂 , Eggplant parm a couple times, Red rasberry leaf tea, Mattress mambo until my husband got a little freaked out. My husbands cousin was due the same day as me and had her baby a week before our due date 🙁 I cried and may have even cussed a little lol. Funny thing about that was I was ready about a month before my due date,(a doctor even told me she had “a feeling” I would go early) Done with work, freezer stocked, house cleaned, I even got through the anxiety of possibly having my baby during hurricane Irene (my doctors office didn’t even have power! My due date came and went …
Finally I just decided to try to enjoy myself. I went out for dinner with the hubby and walked on the beach after wards to try to get things moving. Went to sleep that night nice and relaxed without a care in the world. Woke up the next morning and went to my NST (they tend to do this when you are overdue) and ended up getting admitted and induced due to high bp.(everything was fine though) My little girl was born less than 24 hours later on 9/10/11 (no one will ever forget her birthday). The best thing ever is going out to dinner after your due date has passed, The hostess asked when I was due and when I told her “Yesterday” you should have seen how quickly her jaw dropped, but the service was great! Lol Hang in there girl!
There is a cupcake bakery here in Charlottesville called Cappellino’s Crazy Cakes that makes a lemon cupcake that SO many pregnant women go into labor after eating… Wish I could mail it to you!
Hang in there! The last week is the most stressful, you feel like she is never coming out…but she has too and will! I don’t know why we all think that the baby should get here earlier than the 40 weeks, just hopeful, but most wait until their due date or beyond…try to enjoy the last few days, once she is here it goes by so fast!! My daughter was born on January 8th…she was due on the 10th…and now she is turning 4! Still can’t believe it.
Gina!
I haven’t followed you in a month, because I now how a six week old (!!!), but I wanted to tell you that I was in your shoes a little over a month ago, and all I wanted was my baby girl. The day I went into labor, I walked everywhere, bounced up and down ALL DAY on my exercise ball, and drank 1 huge glass of PURE cranberry juice. The juice was the organic kind from whole foods and is pretty terrible, but I think it totally worked for me.
I had a DR appt 3 days prior and they said my cervix wasn’t softened at all…..that juice made it soften right up and helped me go into labor 5 days early without being dilated at my previous appt.
Try it out! Good luck!!
You look great! 40 weeks – I’m actually hoping I make it through the complete 40 week run! 🙂 I want to make sure my little one is READY! I say that now, but I’m not the one pregnant at 40 weeks! But you look amazing!!! Hope she arrives soon! 🙂
So funny! Growing up my parents always hid the pickle and would buy a neutral present and my brothers and sister would all race to find it! Is that a thing? I never saw anyone else with a pickle ornament before!
I’m sorry you are feeling so emotional but it feels good to cry it out at this point. Even though you never really know WHY you’re crying! You’re doing great. She will be here so soon. I know how LONG this feels!
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{happy labor vibes}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
sent!
I have heard that eggplant parm does the trick! You look amazing and can’t wait to see your beautiful baby! Congrats!
maybe dinner tomorrow night??
I have been reading you’re blog for a couple years and I never comment but I love it. In May I kinda stopped reading because all the pictures of food literaly made me nausous because I found out I was pregnant !!! yeah I was so excited. So fast forward to August when I could actually view food again, I checked youre blog for the first time in forever, and I was so excited to see that you are pregnant too. I have loved reading along following you’re pregnancy, and comparing whats going on with both of us. So now here I sit on my due date still waiting for my baby, so I so know what you feel like when you say that everyone around you has had theres and you are still waiting because I am too !!!! I thought for sure I would go early in my head I was planning all out Christimas activities around having my baby here,(that didnt work out so well) then I was sure she was going to be born on Christmas day ( because I really didnt want her to have to have a Christmas birthday). I have planned all along to work up until I have her because I sit at a desk most of the day so its not to hard on me, but I planned the last of my vacation so I had all last week off, never really thinking that I would have to go back to work today-but I did !!!! AHHHH So here we both are waiting for our babies which are both being stubborn, only Im telling everyone that she is stubborn already acting like her daddy !!!! Good Luck I hope we both go into labor soon. Candi
My due date came and went (The 29th) and I was induced on the 30th…. which failed. I’m going in again this morning for round #2.
The worst part was I didn’t know an induction could fail. If I had known that, I probably wouldn’t have been so gung-ho to get one. However, going into it again, I feel a little excited and nervous.
So if you do end up being induced, know that it can fail, which is okay too. And know that NO MATTER how your baby gets here, as long as she is here and healthy is the MAIN thing and soon you will realize it didn’t really MATTER AT ALL how she made her entrance, just that she made it! Good luck!
oh my goodness. thinking of you – good luck today!
You are such an inspiration. Seriously. I can only hope that I am as active and as strong as you when I am pregnant!
Just found your blog! What a great resource. Wishing you all the best with the arrival of your little one. Looks like you are good to go. Good choice on the pump (when you feel like a production machine just remind yourself that it’s good for your little one), wondering if you went with cloth diapers (we did Fuzzy Bunz – word of advice – use disposables the first week until the meconium passes otherwise you will immediately stain your cloth diapers forever), and finally (like you need advice from a total stranger) when you are about three to five days post delivery and just totally lose it, know that it’s totally normal as your hormones shift yet again (when it happened to me my mom said “yeah happened with all of you (I have 2 sisters) – wish I’d been warned before I felt like a complete basket case – maybe you’ll skip that).
Best of luck – it’s so very exciting! My little one is 3 and a half now and I wouldn’t trade a single sleepless night (although glad he’s sleeping now)! Take care!